Marilyn and Stanley owned a disco where Billly Joel would come and play before he became famous.

Goldie was born in May, 1896 in New York.  She only attended school up to the 4th grade.  While her father was alive, they lived at 465 Sackman Street (1915 NY State Census). Her mother eventually moved to 420 Blake Avenue (1920 Federal Census).

She married William (Hilloh) Streicher, brother of her sister Rose’s husband, Steven 1921.

Goldie Leber Streicher

Goldie and Hilloh had 2 daughters: Marilyn and Merlie.

Sisters Marilyn and Merlie Strei
Sisters Marilyn and Merlie Streicher

Taube (Goldie’s mother), Rose (Goldie’s sister), Marcy (Goldie’s nephew), Hilloh, Goldie, May Wosnitzer (Goldie’s niece) in front

Rose, Marcy, Hilloh, Goldie and May

During the Great Depression, of 1929 – 1939 Hilloh was one of the few family members with a job. He worked for the Post Office. According to the 1930 Census they were living at 2054 78th Street in the “House of the Four Sisters”.

However, according to the 1940 Federal Census, they were living at 6919 20 Ave, Kings, New York, USA and they were living there in 1935, also.

Goldie 1930 Census

Goldie 1940 Census

According to the 1950 Census, Hilloh was now a supervisor at the Post Office. They were still living on 20th Avenue where they raised their daughters.

1950 Census for Hilloh and Goldie

Goldie died in May 1973 in Jamaica, Queens, NY.  Hilloh then relocated to Florida.  He went out dancing for the first time without his wife, had a heart attack, and died on the dance floor.

goldie Streicher death information
William Streicher death information

Goldie and Hilloh’s daughters, Marilyn and Merlie

Merlie

  • Merlie was born Dec. 5, 1928
Merlie birth record

Here is Merlie as a young woman with her mother (sitting) and her Aunt Minnie.

Minnie, Merlie, Goldie

She married Alfred, aka Archie, Winnick in 1948 when she was about 20 years old. I remember her telling me that her parents tried to chase Archie out of the house. They would push him out the front door but he would sneak in the back door! She and Archie had 2 sons, Stephen and Scott.

Merlie and Archie Marriage License
Archie and Merlie's Wedding Thank you Note.

  • She had an entrepreneurial spirit and besides being one of the first women agents for the John Hancock Insurance Company,when she moved  to FL she ran her own insurance office. She also started a pet clothing business when she still lived in NY decades before pet clothes were popular.  In her later years, she was marketing a survivor’s book that held all important family documents and the last time we spoke, she was developing some kind of perfume.
Merlie in Newspapter
  • Archie sadly died in 1993.
Archie Winnick Gravestone
Archie Winnick Death information

Merlie and her son, Stephen
           Merlie and her son, Stephen

  • In January of 2000, her younger son Scott passed away from an infection probably due to his diabetes.  He had been married and divorced 3 times and left a beautiful, daughter.  Merlie was always very close to her grand-daughter.
Scott Winnick Gravestone
Scott Winnick death information
  • Seven years after Archie died, Merlie married Burt Schwartz. They built a new house together with a swimming pool so he could do his laps every day. I believe he had been a champion swimmer earlier in his life.
  • She enjoyed making Passover Seders and included her cousins who lived in Florida, along with her immediate family.
Merlie and Bur Marriage License
  • In 2016, Burt, her soulmate, passed away, her sister was dying, and Merlie broke her hip and needed fracture repair surgery.
    • From her son Steve: “She had been admitted to the hospital ICU last Sunday with heart and other complications, but over the next few days appeared to be rallying.  However her condition deteriorated late yesterday while I was there in the hospital with her, and she was not able to be resuscitated.”
    • She was pre-deceased by her son, Scott, and is survived by her son, Stephen, 2 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.
Merlie Death information

Marilyn

  • Marilyn was born about 1925 in Brooklyn, NY.

Marilyn Streicher HS Graduation
Marilyn Streicher HS Graduation

  • She married Stanley Ackerman in 1948 when she was about 23 years old.
Marilyn and Stanley marriage license
Marilyn Streicher

  • At one point in time Marilyn and Stanley own a disco called the Mystic Colasses in the Howard Beach area of Queens.  Ray’s son, Max Pollay, worked with jukeboxes and bars and advised Stanley Ackerman before he bought his disco.  They only had the disco for a short time when it burned down in a mysterious fire.  Billy Joel used to play there with his band before he got famous.
  • She and Stanley skied with celebrities and was once featured on the TV show Wide World of Sports.
  • In her later years, she suffered for several years from colon cancer.
    • From her nephew Stephen:” Marilyn was able to be released to her home right before she died, and passed away peacefully in her own bed at home without any pain after saying goodbye.”

My Memories:

I remember my Aunt Goldie and my Uncle Hilloh with great fondness.  The great aunts and uncles attended all of our family functions even after my mother died.  However, we lost contact with my mother’s cousins.  It was so nice to reconnect with Merlie and Marilyn in about 1974 after I wrote my first family history book.

Cousin Millie Abramson, told me that when they were little and all lived in the “House of the 4 Sisters”, Merlie broke a tooth while Millie was watching her.  Even though she was only 2 years older than Merlie, Goldie asked Millie A. to watch her outside.  Merlie fell and broke a tooth, and Millie felt terrible.

I remember Uncle Hilloh saying that Merlie got married so young but there was nothing he could do about it.  Archie would come courting.  Hilloh would “throw” Archie out the front door, only to see him sneak in the back door.

Goldie and Hilloh moved to a larger house but within walking distance to Minnie and the other sisters. I remember going to her new house and there was always a lot of people coming and going  in it.

Goldie’s daughter, Merlie, was a remarkable woman. I have this image in my head of this 80+ year old, red-headed, spitfire lady walking around in spiked heels when I can hardly walk in heels anymore.  Her sister,  Marilyn, was also always dressed up. Merlie’s outlook on life was truly amazing and she unquestionably proved the saying that “age is just a number”.  Her entrepreneurial spirit will always be an inspiration to me.

Marilyn was into meditation and did not like to talk about the past.  She also did not like to travel as she got older. Her husband, Stanley, had been an amateur magician, and a very good one at that.

Marilyn and Merlie lived close to each other in FL and were inseparable.

Merlie bought me my first doll house. I still love doll houses to this day!

I also remember visiting Merlie and her family in their Brooklyn, NY, apartment.  Scott was just a new-born infant but I remember how chunky he was. I can still picture him rolling around the floor.

One of my favorite memories is when she took me and her son, Steve, to the Howdy Doody TV show.  We sat in the Peanut Gallery with the other children. (Ask Steve how he won a prize for screaming out “Cousin” when it was my turn to speak!!! LOL!!!) 

I think was 5 or 6 at the time.  My family was at home wtaching the show on TV. My mother said Ira kept banging on the TV shouting “Come out Tara”.

Howdy Doody Show

I was fortunate to be able to visit Merlie and Marilyn a few times in FLorida.  Ira and Avra were also able to visit them there.

Marilyn, Tara, and Merlie 1997
     Marilyn Tara, Merlie – circa 1997 
Merlie, Tara, Marilyn 2010

  Merlie, Tara, Marilyn – circa 2010

I will always remember Merlie as full of life and love for her family.


Sources:

  • Family memories
  • Ancestry.com